SYDNEY - Nomura Holdings Inc has cut 18 Asian banking jobs, most of them China-focused investment roles, as a result of a sharp slowdown in dealmaking activities, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Japan's top brokerage and investment bank last week laid off bankers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, said the sources, declining to be named as they are not authorised to speak to media.

A separate source with knowledge of the move said the cuts were not just for Asia, but also impacted Nomura's international investment banking operations across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"2022 saw a material deterioration in global investment banking fee pools and, as a result, we have had to reduce headcount in certain areas," a Nomura statement said.

(Reporting by Selena Li and Scott Murdoch; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Tom Hogue)